Upgraded tanks volition beryllium important connected the battlefield, Singh said, arsenic Ukraine continues to effort to instrumentality backmost territory successful the northeast successful Kharkiv and successful the confederate Kherson region.
Kyiv has pushed for occidental tanks, specified arsenic the U.S.-made Abrams oregon the German Leopard, but neither state has agreed to nonstop them. The U.S. has hesitated to supply Abrams, which guzzle substance and would necessitate grooming for the Ukrainians to use.
“Introducing a caller main conflict vessel … would beryllium a immense undertaking for the Ukrainian forces,” Singh said. “We bash proceed to consult with our allies and partners to measure our quality connected what we tin supply successful presumption of occidental armored platforms but these [T-72] tanks we volition judge volition marque a quality connected the battlefield.”
In different first, the latest U.S. assistance bundle besides includes backing to upgrade a fig of American Hawk aerial defence missiles for usage successful Ukraine, Singh said. The Hawk rocket is an older, surface-to-air guided rocket that the U.S. nary longer uses, and has longer scope than the Stinger anti-air missiles the U.S. provided this year. The missiles volition complement the Hawk launchers Spain precocious committed to sending to Kyiv, she said.
The caller aerial defence instrumentality volition assistance Ukraine support against “brutal” attacks from Russian drones and cruise missiles, Singh added, though she declined to accidental however galore missiles would beryllium transferred oregon to springiness an nonstop timeline for the delivery.
The bundle besides includes wealth to nonstop 250 M1117 armored vehicles for the archetypal time, arsenic good arsenic 40 riverine boats, and 1,100 Phoenix Ghost drones, according to a merchandise from the State Department.
In total, the U.S. has present committed much than $18.9 cardinal successful information assistance to Ukraine since the opening of the Biden administration, including $18.2 cardinal since the Russian penetration connected Feb. 24.
Paul McLeary contributed to this report.
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